Qatar

Qatar has experienced a low level of domestic dissent compared to its neighbors, but since its successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it has become a focus of international criticism of the mistreatment of low-paid migrant workers. Labor reforms enacted 2015 still require workers to secure their employer’s permission to change jobs or leave the country, preventing them from leaving abusive situations. Having previously placed few restrictions on the activities of international media, authorities detained and interrogated two groups of foreign journalists who were attempting to report on migrant workers’ living and working conditions.